Sod cutting apparatus



May 5, 1970 G. J. BROUWER L 3,509,944

son CUTTING APPARATUS Filed June 27. 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 G. J. BROUWER ETAL 3,509,944

May 5, 1970 SOD CUTTING APPARATUS & o mm M ow i 8 T l l Filed June 2'7, 1966 j INVENTOI? BY 074% M 5 7141, a Pwi,

y 1970 G. J. BROUWER AL' 3,509,944

SOD CUTTING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 27, 1966 INVENTOR. MUM W Tam Van W M BY M Om 3,509,944 SOD CUTTING APPARATUS Gerardus Johannes Brouwer, 599 Pearson St., and John Van Dyken and Klaas Oussoren, both of RR. 2, all of Newmarket, Ontario, Canada Filed June 27, 1966, Ser. No. 560,770 Int. Cl. A01b 45/04, 39/10 US. Cl. 172-19 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A sod cutter having a vibrating sod undercutting blade. Several thin, fiat guide strips, connected to the rear of the blade, extend rearwardly to the front end of a conveyor mounted behind the blade, to guide cut sod from the blade onto the conveyor. A cut-off blade, to cut sod to length, is periodically driven into the ground. A tiltable mounting permits the cut-off blade, as it is slowly raised between strokes, to tilt rearwardly during times when it drags along the ground.

The sod cutter is guided over the ground by a roller and is mounted on a support vehicle at two pivot points spaced lengthwise along and centrally located widthwise of the cutter. This allows the cutter to rock laterally with its roller independently of the support vehicle, to adjust to local variations in the surface traversed.

This invention relates to an improved sod cutting machine.

At the present time, sod is usually cut by means of a machine which has a bottom horizontal blade to sever the sod from the ground at the thickness desired, and two side blades extending vertically one from each side of the horizontal blade to cut the sod to the desired width. Another blade is lowered periodically as the machin passes over the sod, to cut the strips of sod to the desired length. An attendant follows the machine and rolls the cut strips into rolls for transportation to the place of use. This procedure is inefiicient and time consuming since a great deal of effort is required to coil the cut strips of sod lying on the ground into rolls, and since further effort is required to load the rolls onto pallets.

Numerous proposals exist for conveying the sod, as 1t is cut, to a coiling or loading platform, by means of a conveyer mounted immediately behind the cutting blade. However, such proposals have generally proved unworkable in practice, for a number of reasons. Typical among the reasons is that dirt from the underside of the sod tends to clog the path between the cutting blade and the conveyer, and this accumulated dirt offers substantial resistance to the passage of sod, tending to tear the sod. In addition, the mechanism used for cutting the strips of sod into desired lengths has been rather complex and costly, and further, the strips of sod have tended to be of uneven thickness since large machines carrying conveyer belts failed to follow the contours of the ground sufficiently accurately.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention in one of its aspects to provide improved means for guiding a cut strip of sod from the cutting knife to a conveyer mounted behind the cutting knife.

In an illustrative embodiment of the present invention this is achieved by connecting sev ral flat, thin guide strips with the undercutting blade, the guide strips extending rearwardly from the blade and to the front of the conveyor mounted behind the blade. These strips guide cut sod from the undercutting blade to the conveyor. During the cutting process, as the undercutting blade is vibrated, the guide strips vibrate therewith, so that dirt 7 Claims v ice tending to collect on the guide strips is rubbed off and falls between them.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved mechanism for cutting the strips of sod into desired length. In a typical embodiment of the invention, a transverse cutting blade is biased downwardly but is normally held clear of the ground by a cam follower supported by a cam. As the cam rotates, lifting support for the cam follower is periodically removed and the transverse cutting blade is driven into the ground. As the cam continues to rotate, the transverse cutting blade is slowly raised, and a pivotal mounting for the blade permits it to tilt during that part of the raising process in which the transverse cutting blade is being dragged forwardly ov r the ground.

A still further object of the invention is to provide improved mounting means to enable the sod cutting machine more accurately to follow the contour of the ground over which it travels, thus to improve the uniformity of thickness of the sod cut. In the embodiment described, the sod cutting machine includes a roller to guide it over the ground, and is mounted to a support and propulsion vehicle at a pair of pivot points spaced lengthwise along the sod cutter and located centrally widthwise of the cutter. This permits the sod cutter to rock from side to side With its roller independently of the support and propulsion vehicle, so that it may follow local variations in the contour of the ground over which it travels.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a sod cutting machine according to the present invention as mounted on a support and propulsion vehicle;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cutting knife including guide means according to the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a view showing a modification of a cutting knife guide member;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic side view illustrating the operation of the cutoff mechanism, the undercutting knife, conveyer and sod rolling mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the forward end of a modified conveyer;

FIG. 5 is a side view showing the forward end of the conveyer of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a modified rear mounting arrangement for the sod cutting machine; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing means for tipping up the end of sod strips travelling up the conveyer.

Referring firstly to FIG. 1, there is shown a sod cutting machine 1 according to the present invention. The sod cutting machine 1 includes a frame 2 mounted, by means to be described, on a support and propulsion vehicle 4, shown in the present case as a tractor. Mounted on the frame 2 are a sod cutting knife 45, 2. guide roller 8, a cutofl? mechanism 10 for cutting the strips of sod into desired lengths, a rod conveyor 12 for conveying the cut strips of sod upwardly away from the cutting knife, a rubber sheet 14 for initiating rolling of the sod moving up the conveyer belt once the end of the sod is tipped up, and a stop roller 16 for completing the rolling of the strips of sod. The machine will, in operation, be propelled along a path of travel indicated by arrow 17.

The sod cutting knife 6, best shown in FIG. 2, includes a horizontal blade 18 for undercutting the sod and two vertical blades 20, one at each side of the horizontal blade, for cutting the edges of the strip of sod. The knife 6 is supported by a pair of arms 22, the arms 22. being connected at their upper ends to a conventional adjusting mechanism 24 for adjusting the depth and angle of the cut to be made by the knife 6.

The cutting knife 6 is vibrated back and forth in a direction parallel to the path of travel of the machine by a pair of arms 26 connected to the arms 22, the arms 26 being eccentrically connected to a driveshaft 27 driven by a belt 28 from a driving wheel 30. In the embodiment shown, the driving wheel 30 is powered by a conventional oil motor 32.

It will be noted that the cutting knife 6 includes guide means comprising a plurality of flat, thin spaced guide strips 34 connected to the horizontal blade 18 and extending rearwardly and upwardly therefrom. These guide strips 34, which may be constituted simply by hacksaw blades (typically about 1 /2 inches in width and thickness) welded to the cutting knife 18, extend over and rest loosely on the forward end of the rod conveyor 12. As the sod cutting machine moves forward along its path of travel, the cutting knife 6, including the guide strips 34, vibrates back and forth and (as best shown in FIG. 3) the cut strip of sod moves over the horizontal blade portion 18-, over the guide strips 34, and onto the rod conveyer 12 for travel up the conveyer.

It is found that with the provision of the guide strips 34, travel of the sod from the cutting knife 6 to the conveyor 12 is improved and tearing of the sod is reduced. Because of the space between the thin strips 34, any dirt tending to accumulate on these strips can fall through the gaps between the strips, and in addition, since the strips are thin, there is little possibility of dirt accumulating on the sides of the guide strips. Moreover, use of thin strips adds little weight to the vibrating mass and thus does not increase unduly undesirable vibration of the whole machine.

It will be realized that the guide means constituted by guide strips 34- need not take the form of thin flat strips. For example, round elongated spaced parallel bars could be used instead of strips. Moreover, it may be found desirable, where strips are used, to bend the end of each strip upwardly slightly as shown for strips 34a in FIG. 2A. With such an upward bend, the guide strips will assist in pushing the sod along onto the conveyer 12, and this pushing may be further facilitated by sharpening the free ends 341) of the guide strips 34a.

Reference will next be made to the mounting of the sod cutting machine 1 on the support vehicle 4 such that the sod cutting machine will follow closely the contour of the ground over which it runs. To this end, the forward end of the frame 2 is mounted on the tractor 4 by a guide arm 36. The guide arm 36 is connected to the tractor by a pivot 38 which permits the guide arm to move up and down in a vertical plane transverse to the path of travel of the machine and to move slightly from side to side in a direction parallel to the path of travel of the machine. The guide arm 36 is mounted to the frame 2 by a pivot 40 which permits the frame 2 (subject to a mounting at the rear of the frame, to be described shortly) to rock from side to side about a vertical plane extending parallel to the path of travel of the machine and through the centre of the frame.

The rear portion of the frame 2 is mounted to the tractor 4 by a universal joint mounting comprising a horizontal rod 41 oriented across the path of travel of the machine and pivotally connected to the frame 2, and a further rod 42 pivotally connected between the rod 41 and a further frame 44 fixed to the tractor. The rod 41 provides a horizontal pivotal axis, transverse to the path of travel 17, for the frame 2, so that, subject to the constraint imposed by front guide arm 36, the entire frame can pivot about the rod 41. Thus, when the sod cutting machine 1 is not in use, it may be lifted by a cable 48 to raise the front end of the machine off the ground (the frame 2 pivoting counterclockwise about the rod 41 at this time), thus permitting convenient movement of the tractor 4 and machine 1 from place to place.

The rear pivot rod- 42 and the front pivot 40 are aligned in the same vertical plane extending parallel to the path of travel of the machine and through the centre of the frame 2, cutting knife 6-, and guide roller &The entire sod cutting machine is thus free to rock from side to side about this vertical plane.

The guide roller '8, being rotatably mounted on the frame 2, guides the entire frame, including the cutting knife 6, over the ground as the machines moves along. If, for example, a small hump occurs in the ground at one side of the guide roller, that side of the guide roller will lift, thus lifting the corresponding side of the cutting knife 6, conveyer 12, and the remainder of the sod cutting and conveying mechanism, so that the strip of sod will be of even thickness instead of being thick at one side and thin at the other.

In other words, as the tractor 4 propels the sod cutting machine along, the Wheels of the tractor will follow the contour of the ground over which they travel (which contour may be different from that encountered by the guide roller 8 and cutting knife 6) but the roller 8 will guide the sod cutting machine to follow the contour of that narrow strip of ground from which the strip of sod is being cut. This, as mentioned, is due to the fact that the entire frame 2, including the conveyer 12, cutting knife 6, and guide roller 8, can rock from side to side and up and down as mentioned.

Reference will next be made to the cutoff mechanism 10 for cutting the strips of sod to length. This mechanism includes a measuring chain 50 driven from a sprocket 52 connected to the guide roller 8. The measuring chain 50 drives another sprocket or gear 54 connected to a shaft 56 on which is mounted a cam 58. The cam 58 is shaped generally in the form of a spiral, i.e., its peripheral surface commences at a low point 60 and spirals out to a high point 62, the peripheral surface of the cam then being directed radially inwardly back to the low point 60.

As the cam 58 turns (in the direction of the arrow), it lifts a cam follower 64 mounted on a shaft 65 connected to a pair of leaf springs 66. The leaf springs 66 are anchored at their rearward ends to the frame 2 by any suitable means, such as bolts '68, the anchoring being such that the unanchored forward ends of leaf springs 66 are strongly biased downwardly.

A transverse cutting knife 70 is pivotally connected at 72 to the respective forward ends of the leaf springs 66. Because of the pivotal mounting, the transverse cutting knife 70 can tilt to the rear, as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3, but the knife 70 is normally biased to a vertical position by a coil spring '74 stretched between the knife 70 and a fixed anchor 75 on one of the leaf springs. A stop 76 connected to the transverse cutting knife 70 abuts against one of the leaf springs 66 when the cutting knife 70 is in a vertical position and prevents the coil spring 74 from tilting the cutting knife 70 past its vertical position to a forwardly tilted position.

In operation of the cutoff mechanism, assuming that the length desired for the strips of sod is, for example, 81 inches, the dimensions of the sprockets 52 and 54 are selected with reference to the diameter of the guide roller 8 so that the sprocket 54 and hence the cam 58 is driven through one revolution in every 81 inches of forward travel of the machine. As the cam 58 turns, its spiral cam surface lifts cam follower 64, and consequently the leaf springs 66 to which the cam follower is anchored, together with the transverse cutting knife 70, above the ground. As the cam 58 continues to turn, the discontinuity in its surface between the high and low points 62 and 60 moves past the cam follower 64. When this occurs, lifting support for the cam follower is suddenly removed and the pressure of leaf springs 66 then drives the transverse cutting knife 70 downwardly into the ground, as shown in full lines in FIG. 3. The dimensions of cam 58, cam follower 64, cutting knife 70, and the frame 2 at this location are selected such that the cutting knife 70 penetrates at least as far into the ground as the thickness of the sod strip to be out, which will normally be inch to 2 inches.

As the sod cutting machine continues to move forward, the cutting knife 70 is gradually raised again by continued rotation of the cam 58. Since the raising of the knife 70 is a relatively slow process, the forward movement of the machine causes the knife 70 to tilt rearwardly as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3, until such time as the knife 70 is lifted high enough to clear the ground, at which time the spring 74 returns the knife 70 to vertical position in preparation for a new transverse cut.

Reference is next made to the means provided for rolling sod travelling up the conveyer 12. This means, as mentioned, comprises a heavy rubber sheet 14. One end of the sheet 14 is pivoted from a support 80 positioned several inches (e.g. about 4 to 5") above the conveyer 12 and transverse to the direction of movement of the conveyer. The free end of the sheet 14 normally rests freely on the conveyer surface at a position spaced along the direction of movement of the conveyer from the support 80. A stop roller 16 is, as mentioned, rotatably mounted several inches (typically about 4 to 5 inches) above the conveyor at a position adjacent the free end of the sheet 14. (These dimensions are for A sod.)

The operation of the sod rolling mechanism is as follows. As the sod travels up the conveyor 12 and approaches the rubber sheet 14, the operator tips up the end of the sod. The tipped up end of the sod strikes the rubber sheet 14 and rolling of the sod is initiated, as shown at 82 in FIG. 3. After about one turn of sod has been rolled, continued pressure of the sod on the rubber sheet 14, caused by the motion of the conveyor, lifts the free end of the rubber sheet 14, and the rolled end 82 of the sod passes under the rubber sheet 14 and under the roller 16. Due to gravity, the rolled end 82 of the sod now begins to roll downwardly as the conveyer moves the sod strip upwardly. Further rolling of the sod thus occurs, and movement of the rolling bundle down the conveyer is prevented by the stop roller 16. The roller 16 at this time rotates in the direction of the arrow, due to the friction of the rolling bundles of sod pressing thereon. After the strip of sod is completely rolled, an attendant standing behind the end of the conveyer lifts the bundle off and deposits it on a pallet 84 which is carried by a fork lift (not shown) mounted on the rear of the tractor.

Premature rolling of the rolled end 82 is prevented by the pressure of the rubber sheet 14 thereon, so that full rolling of the sod strip will not occur until the rolled end 82 passes out from under the rubber sheet 14 and under the roller 16.

It is of course necessary to provide suflicient upward slant of the conveyer so that the sod will tend to roll itself once its end has been rolled and once this rolled end passes under stop roller 16. In a typical machine built in accordance with the present invention and used to cut sod inch in thickness, the length of the conveyer was 76 inches, the difference in height between the front and rear end of the conveyer was approximately 38 inches, and the stop roller 16 was spaced 6 inches along the conveyer from the support 80.

In use, the conveyer 12 will normally be run slightly faster than the forward speed of travel of the machine, so that gaps will occur between the ends of successive lengths of sod, giving the attendant time to remove one rolled length before the next length has rolled itself.

It will be realized that numerous modifications may be made in the machine as just described. For example, instead of a rod conveyer, a chain conveyor 12' may be used, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The chain conveyor 12 comprises, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, five heavy chains 86 running at their forward ends around idler sprockets 88 conected by a shift 90. A guard bar 92 is positioned in front of the forward end of the conveyor, and guard plates 94 run from the guard bar under each sprocket 88. The guide strips 34 from the cutting knife 6 (which guide strips will be four in number where five chains are used) extend over the guard bar 92 at locations between the chains 86, as shown.

In addition, the means for mounting the frame 2 on the support and propulsion vehicle 4 may be varied, so long as the frame can rock from side to side about a vertical plane parallel to the path of travel 17 of the machine and through the centre of the cutting knife 6, and so long as the frame can pivot backwards and forwards to permit the front part of the frame to move up and down. For example, the pivots 38 and 40 mounting the guide arm 38 to the vehicle 4 and to the frame 2 may be ball points instead of pivots, while the rear universal joint mounting may be replaced by a mounting of the type shown in FIG. 6. In the FIG. 6 mounting, a bracket 94 is connected to the frame 2 at any suitable location adjacent the rear of the conveyer, the bracket 94 being positioned above the conveyer sufficiently not to interfere with sod travelling up the conveyor. A ball joint 96 is provided, connected on the one hand to the bracket 94 and on the other hand to an arm 98 containing a number of holes 100. The arm 98 is connected to a support arm 102 (mounted rigidly on the tractor 4) by a bolt 104 which extends through one of the holes 100 and a corresponding hole in support arm 102. In this Way, the rear of the conveyor may be adjusted up wardly or downwardly by changing the hole through which bolt 104 extends.

This-capability for adjusting the tilt of the conveyor is useful for example on hilly terrain; when cuts are to be made in a downhill direction, the tilt of the conveyor may be increased by moving its rear upwardly, while if cuts are to be made in an uphill direction, the tile of the conveyor may be reduced. In addition, variations in tilt may be made for optimum performance depending on the nature of the sod being cut, e.g. wet or dry. If desired, a screw adjusting mechanism may be employed in place of the adjustment provided by the bolt 104 and the holes 100 in arms 90. Typical tilts for the conveyor may lie between 20 degrees and 45 degrees, depending on conditions.

It will be realized that the front guide arm 36 need not be mounted ahead of the guide roller 8, but could, for example be mounted behind the roller at about the middle of the conveyor.

The mechanism for rolling the sod into rolls may be modified, as shown in FIG. 7, so that the end of a sod strip travelling up the conveyor is automatically tipped up to engage the rubber sheet .14, thus eliminating the need for the operator to tip up the end of each sod strip. For this purpose, a row of spaced hooks 106 are provided, strung above'the conveyor 12 from a support 108 spaced immediately ahead of the support for the rubber sheet 14. The hooks 106 hang pivotally from the support 108 and extend down between the chains 86 to a position just below the chains. When the end of a sod strip travelling up the conveyor encounters the hooks 106, the end of the sod strip is tipped up. As the sod continues to move, the hooks 106 flip rearwardly and upwardly out of the way, the tipped-up end of the sod strip then engaging rubber sheet 14 which, as before, initiates rolling of the sod and then lifts to permit the rolled end to move under roller 16. It may be noted that the sheet 14 need not be rubber; other relatively heavy and flexible materials will do. However, though the sheet 14 must exert sufficient pressure on the sod to initiate rolling of the sod, this pressure must not be too extreme or the sheet 14 will not lift as desired and will prevent continued upward movement of the sod under the conveyor 16.

Finally, it may be noted that guide roller '8 could be replaced by shoes or runners (provided that the ground were sufficiently well rolled before sod is cut) or could be separated into a number of articulated sections, as desired.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In a sod cutting machine having a frame adapted for travel forwardly along a path of travel, a cutting blade having an upper surface, means mounting said cutting blade on said frame in an orientation substantially across said path of travel with said upper surface substantially horizontal, means connected between said frame and said blade for vibrating said blade back and forth along said path of travel to undercut a strip of sod, means connected with said frame for cutting the edges of said strip of sod, a conveyor having an end mounted on said frame behind said cutting blade for receiving cut sod and conveying the same away from said cutting blade, guide means between said cutting blade and said end of said conveyor for guiding said out sod from said cutting blade onto said conveyor, means connecting said guide means with said cutting blade for vibration therewith, said guide means comprising a plurality of elongated guide members extending rearwardly behind said cutting blade, said guide members being spaced apart laterally of said path of travel to define enlarged apertures therebetween, whereby dirt from said sod tending to accumulate on said guide means may fall through said apertures,

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said guide members are flat strips of substantial width and slight overall mass.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said strips extend upwardly at an angle from said upper surface of said cutting blade, to guide out sod upwardly and rearwardly from said upper surface.

4. In a sod cutting machine having a frame adapted for travel forwardly along a path of travel, a cutting blade having an upper surface, means mounting said cutting blade on said frame in an orientation substantially across said path of travel with said upper surface substantially horizontal, means connected between said frame and said blade for vibrating said blade, back and forth along said path of travel to ,undercut sod, a plurality of guide members, and means connecting the forward ends of said guide members with said blade for vibration therewith, with said guide members positioned at spaced intervals across said path of travel and extending rearwardly behind said blade for guiding sod cut by said blade rearwardly from said blade.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said guide members are fiat strips of substantial width and low overall mass, said strips being unconnected with each other except at their forward ends.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said guide members extend upwardly at an angle from said upper surface of said blade.

7. In a sod cutting machine having a frame adapted for travel forwardly along a path of travel, a cutting knife having an undercutting blade and a pair of side cutting blades one connected to each side of said undercutting blade and extending upwardly therefrom, means connected between said frame and said side cutting blades for supporting said undercutting blade in an orientation substantially across said path of travel with the upper surface of said undercutting blade substantially horizontal and for vibrating said cutting knife back and forth along said path of travel to cut a strip of sod, a conveyor having an end mounted to said frame behind said cutting knife for receiving cut sod and conveying the same away from said cutting knife, a plurality of elongated guide members each having a forward end, said guide members being positioned at spaced intervals across said undercutting blade and extending rearwardly therefrom with the forward end of each guide member welded to said undercutting blade, said guide members extending upwardly at an angle from said undercutting blade and being unconnected with each other except at their connection to said undercutting blade.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,081,686 12/1913 McGough 1722O X 1,732,972 10/ 1929 Knipfing 172--20 2,617,347 11/1952 Provost 172--20 2,740,211 4/1956 Henry et al l7219 X 2,998,081 8/1961 Hartmangru-ber et al. 172-20 3,034,586 5/1962 Ditter -3 172-19 1,619,875 3/1927 Loftus 37--101 2,345,425 3/1944 Phillips 172-20 3,272,559 9/1966 Haynes 17'240 X 3,357,499 12/1967 Finneyfrock 172-19 1,855,998 4/1932 Shannon.

3,429,377 2/1969 Nunes 172-19 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner A. E. KOPECKI, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 17220, 101 

